Fish Eating "Vegetarians"

I feel the need to ask but how can someone call themself a vegetarian if they consume fish ?


"Vegetarians" who eat fish, why do you do it ?

I'm vegan and i don't eat ANYTHING that has come from/ is somehow related to an animal (including bees)

I am VERY strict on the fact that what goes into my body is not aginst my personla 'vegan' rules.

I can not stand it when someone who says they are veg. eats fish!

The whole point is that it's a living creature! Fish feel pain Just like chickens or cows do.

And the people who are only in it to lose weight, should not (and do not have the right!) to call themselves true veg.s

Why I am a pescetarian:

1) Health reasons. My diet, a combination of fruits, vegetables, nuts, soy (I can't do dairy), whole grains and fish is a very healthy one! Fish are one of the most nutritionally sound sources of protein and essential vitamins out there, the mercury content is not so much a concern because I do not eat much Orange Roughy or anything else that is high on the contaminiation list with regularity. Plus, Dr. Oz on Oprah said it is silly to be afraid of fish for this reason. I have had many doctors condemn veganism to me, which is what I'd be if I did not eat fish (i don't eat dairy), because it is rarely done "correctly", especially at my age. I love vegan food and eat it a lot, but a nice piece of fish is a welcome addition to my plate!

2) Unlike what some other members have posted, i do not believe that fish feel pain "just like cows and chickens'. Do they feel pain? Yeah probably, but we, as humans, are much closer genetically to chickens and cows and thus, their brains and sensory systems are much closer to ours, mimicking pain receptors and all that jazz. I do feel guilty if I am in a restaurant and there are live lobsters, but I feel like God made our oceans take up 75% of the earth for a reason - ok that was a weird way to legitimize eating fish but I guess I'll keep it there.

3) Environmental reasons. I eat mostly wild caught fish event hough it is a little bit more expensive. The meat industry is insanely wasteful and adds to countless problems of the environment I do NOT want to get into, because we can argue all day and get no where. However, there are fish farming/catching orgs that promote sustainable fishing and does little to hurt the environment relative to the meat industry.  

4) I hate LABELING. Why must we call ourselves "ovo-lacto", 'pesce....', vegan, vegetarian, no red meat etc etc etc....It's just how I live. I don't consider myself on a 'diet' of any sort, I have been eating 'like this' for the last 6 years and it has worked amazingly for me...who cares if I eat fish or not? Does it offend you that I use your name because most of the world has never heard of a pescetarian? 

5) I absolutely love seafood. Love it.

Hope that was a bit of insight for some folks! 

some people arent vegetarians cuz they care about animals but more so because they dont like meat..

Vegetarians eat nothing with a face (this includes all animals and fish).

Vegans eat nothing that came from something with a face.  (dairy and honey).

Hope this simplifies it for you :) 

i do, and consider myself a vegetarian. It is way too complicated to say to everyone "oh yea I don't eat dairy products or meat but I do eat things from the sea"

not all vegetarians adopt that lifestyle because they feel bad about eating animals.  Pork, poultry and red meat are not very healthy.  Most fish, on the other hand, is.

 

more importantly, why do we care what someone labels themselves as? 

Original Post by mgrondin:

not all vegetarians adopt that lifestyle because they feel bad about eating animals. Pork, poultry and red meat are not very healthy. Most fish, on the other hand, is.

 

more importantly, why do we care what someone labels themselves as?

well said. i think it's pretty common knowledge that some people who call themselves vegetarians eat fish and some don't. i remember when people who stopped eating pork and red meat called themselves vegetarians even when they still ate poultry. i don't know why we all like to get on our high horses about it. i know i do the same things...one of my friends considers herself a vegetarian and doesn't eat fish, but eats chicken a few times a month. she calls them cheat days. i'll get defensive at times and tell her she's not really a vegetarian, but in the end of it all, does it really freaking matter?

i think instead we should praise people for the steps they take to eat healthier diets, and be more environmental/animal-friendly...however large or small these steps are.

I have never understood why people get so upset about what other people chose to eat and not eat. A few years ago I was shocked to be chewed out by a vegetarian (who no longer is) because I ate veggie burgers, veggie brats, fake chicken patties, etc. and offered her one of my veggie burgers at a bbq. She said that if I was so against eating meat I shouldn't eat meat wanna-be products.

I do eat seafood, but it has been over 13 years since I ate any animal not from the sea. I am not going to get into why I eat what I do, I have my reasons, and they work for me.

I don't really go around calling myself a "vegetarian", if anything I will say "mostly vegetarian" is someone asks. However I will request vegetarian meals, especially when traveling at conferences. But when I request a vegetarian meal I don't expect any fish, in fact most times I expect it to be Vegan if they didn't ask if I was ovo-lacto. My biggest concern is typically whether it has mushroom or not, since I am allergic to mushrooms! Why do I ask for vegetarian meals when I am not technically a vegetarian? It is easier than requesting a meal with no chicken, beef, pork, rabbit, etc. I know I will eat the vegetarian dish as long as it is mushroom free. If I thought of myself as a meat eater and didn't request a special meal, 95% of the time I would end up with a non-seafood meat dish which I won't eat.

At banquets when I ask for a vegetarian plate, people at the table will often ask if I am a vegetarian, and I have been known to say "yes". I find it more comfortable to just give a simple yes, than trying to explain to a table of strangers why I chose to eat some animals and not others. I can't speak for other pescotarians, but for me I am not trying to make fish part of the vegetarian diet, I am just trying to keep the focus at a business dinner on business not my diet.

There are lots of times in society where given the audience, a general statement that isn't completely accurate is just easier. I live in Canada, but I am American. When Canadians ask me where in the states I am from, I will often say Chicago. But when I meet people from Chicago, I will often clarify that I grew up in the suburbs. Most Canadians know where Chicago is, but would have no idea where Crystal Lake, IL is! At a conference when I run into a true vegetarian and they say "Oh, you are a vegetarian too?" I always clarify that I am not really a vegetarian because I do eat seafood.

Hope that helps explain some why fish eaters will occasionally claim to be vegetarian.

because fish only breathe underwater

Okay, here's my side of the story. I do not claim to be a vegetarian. I tell people that I eat mostly vegetarian, except for occasional fish. I do this because most people don't know the word pescetarian. I did choose this diet for ethical reasons after reading "Animal Liberation" by Peter Singer. He spoke a lot about the ethics of your diet and the different levels of vegetarian/vegan-ism. His argument wasn't that we shouldn't eat animals, because they are living creatures, but because the farming industry is cruel and animals shouldn't be made to suffer. He didn't focus so much on the death of animals as he did on their lives and how inhumane they were treated on farms. It was a long time ago when I read the book, but I believe that he argued that while fish do suffer in death, they do not spend a lifetime of suffering. Anyways, back to the many "layers" of vegetarianism.

The question that it comes down to is where do you draw the line. Some people reduce the amount of meat they eat. Some people don't eat red meat. Some people don't eat any meat. These are all good things, because they reduce the amount of suffering in the world. Singer believed and asked that his readers, at the very least, did not eat farm animals. If they were willing to do more, even better if they could cut out fish, and incredible if they could cut out eggs and dairy.

So, yes I'm doing the minimum. I don't eat factory farm animals, and I choose not to eat any other land animals, even if they do die a humane death, simply because I am accustomed to not eat meat. I eat fish and seafood on occasion. I avoid products that have been tested on animals, I give money to the ASPCA, I only adopt my pets from shelters, etc. I do what little I can and I think that's better than doing nothing.

For those of us who do this for ethical reasons, we cannot be black and white. We cannot expect people to do all or nothing. Nothing will change then.

Technically I'm a pescatarian, but if it comes up, I say I'm a vegetarian simply because most people don't know meaning of the word pescatarian, and I don't like to get deep into my eating habits with most acquaintances. It's just a term I use out of convenience, not because I'm trying to lie about what I do and don't eat.

The only way to be completly and absolutly enviromental friendly is in becoming a frutarian. They not only just eat fruit, they only just eat fruit that falls down from a tree freely, what is called 'by own choice'.

 

(That guy who invented Apple-Computer is a Frutarian, that's why the PC's called "Apple" ^_^)

Well written, drwxpanda.  I've eaten only fish (and no meats) for about four years now.  I originally gave up meat for a religious fast, but decided to go back to fish for adequate protein.  It's a great low fat choice. Try asking for a pescetarian meal at your next dinner out on the town or at your next business meeting and watch the mass confusion begin.  Most foods are prepared with chicken, beef, and pork, which is why it is so easy to state that one is vegetarian when not at home.  The real question should be, why do vegetarians care so much about the word vegetarian?  It's almost like it's a religion to the no fish and meat eating complainers out there.

I won't freak out if someone who eats chicken or fish labels themself as a vegetarian, but I just have to wonder why. It's much easier to say, "I don't eat red meat," than, "I'm a vegetarian but I eat chicken and fish." Not only is it less confusing, but it won't get people riled up.

It's like if you fix a car and you call yourself a car mechanic. Good job, you fixed a car, but the facts are: you are not a mechanic. If you don't eat red meat but eat chicken or fish, good job. But you are not a vegetarian.

The vegetarian issue becomes heated very quickly...like politics.  I have recently become "veggie" which wasn't difficult for me.  Growing up, I was the weird kid that didn't like hot dogs or hamburgers.  In fact, I was anemic because my Mom couldn't get me to eat enough meat.  Recently, I have chosen not eat beef, pork, or poultry.  I will continue to eat seafood a lot.  We live in a coastal town and fresh, local fish is abundant.  In fact, we catch a lot of the fish we eat at home.  My reasons for this lifestyle change are because of the attrocities that occur within the commercial meat industry.  If you want to learn more, I encourage you to read Slaughterhouse by Gail A. Eisnitz. 

I am a flexitarian, not a vegetarian.

 

The only reason that we NEED labels is because we don't all have the same diets.  When I was in the hospital, I was listed as vegetarian (so no meat was offered to me and I could have a balanced meal).  If I wasn't "labeled", I would most likely have been served foods that I won't eat.  If you eat fish or chicken, you are not a vegetarian--because vegetarians eat plants--you would be given a dish of vegetables.  No one (should) judge your food choices, so saying something you're not can only end up causing you unnecessary bother.  What if I needed a low-sodium diet?  Or if I had diabetes?  Labels aren't bad things, they can actually make things easier for us. 

I'm with glindalupo.  It is so much easier to tell people that I am a vegetarian so that they don't look at my weird when I abstain from the main course at meals.  

I became a pescetarian because I have chronic gall stones.  My body just does not like meat.  So instead of having my gall bladder removed, I thought it healthier and more natural to just change my diet.  I do not miss meat at all.  However, sometimes I need the supply of lean protein from fish.  Still, I only eat fish maybe twice per month.  I try to listen to my body and only eat it when I'm really craving it. 

Still, as far as global awareness is concerned, we are picking our oceans dry of seafood and we still waste a lot of what we fish.  So I try to take that into account as well.  

Original Post by kittyisaround:

(That guy who invented Apple-Computer is a Frutarian, that's why the PC's called "Apple" ^_^)

You mean Steve Jobs? Umm no. Here's a quote from Wikipedia that cites an article from The Economist  magazine:

"Jobs is not a vegetarian or vegan as is often claimed. Although he does not eat mammalian meat or fowl, he eats fish from time to time. This is known as pescetarianism."

Original Post by kittyisaround:

 

 

(That guy who invented Apple-Computer is a Frutarian, that's why the PC's called "Apple" ^_^)

really?

Original Post by athena_tavener:

Tomatoes aren't vegetables -- they're fruits -- but I'd bet most people calling themselves "vegetarians" still eat them....

But who said the 'vege' in 'vegetarian' derived from 'vegetable'? It could have easily come from 'vegetation', which, if my sources are correct, include fruits.

But it is a little bit of a pet peeve when people ask if I eat poultry or fish. To me, vegetarian has always been 'no animal flesh', no matter what. I assume fish feel pain. Tofu, however, is perfectly acceptable, and prepared properly, has the ability to taste nearly exactly like any of your silly dead animals. Which can be wonderful for new vegetarians- even old ones who like the taste of meat but like animals too much to eat the real thing.